Isaiah 65:1 says, I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. Isaiah said that God sought those who had not asked for Him and found those who had not sought Him. We will never find God, but He will always find us by reveling Himself to us. This refers to the Gentiles being called into the kingdom of God. The Jews had failed to reach out to them and call for them to come to God, so God was going to do this without them. We as followers of Jesus Christ are commissioned to share the gospel with everyone, but if we fail to do so, God Himself will call the lost people of the world to Him.
Verse two adds, I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; God said that He had reached out His hand all day to His rebellious people, but that they wouldn’t take His hand and follow Him. They went their own way instead, following ways that were not good. They were still God’s chosen people in name, but not in their actions. If we profess to be a Christian, we must follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and never live by our own desires if they are not in accordance with God’s will.
Verse three continues, A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; God said that the people of Israel were provoking Him to His face. They weren’t even trying to hide their disobedience, which is a sad state for those who are supposed to be God’s people to be in. They were going through the motions of making sacrifices to God, but these sacrifices had no spiritual meaning to the people. Some people who profess to be Christians today go through the motions of worshipping God but then don't live in accordance to His commandments. God will never be fooled by this even if the people of the world are.
Verse four states, Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; The people of Israel had certain foods that were declared unclean, though this was later taken away after Jesus Christ came and died for our sins. This obeying of dietary restrictions set the people of Israel apart from the rest of the world, and now we are set apart by our faith in Jesus Christ, so these dietary restrictions are no longer needed. In the days of Isaiah and even in the days when Jesus Christ was here in the world, the people of Israel were disobeying God’s commandments. The statement that they were eating pork and putting abominable things in their food was an indication that they weren’t obeying Gods’s law. Though we are free to eat any food, if we put the things of the world ahead of obeying God’s commandments, we are just as guilty as the people of Israel were in that day.
Verse five adds, Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. The people of Israel had the attitude that because they were born into the family of God’s chosen people that they were better than anyone else. They didn’t want anyone who was not a Jew to come near them. We can have that same attitude today, thinking that because we were born in a certain country that we are better than other people and not even want them near us. This was a sin for the Jews in that day and it is still a sin today. We are to reach out to all people with the gospel and want them to become a part of the family of God. God said that their sacrifices did nothing but displease Him. Going through the motions of worshipping and obeying God without having put our faith in Him will never please God.
Verse six continues, Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, God said He might keep silent for a while when those who professed to be His people were rebelling against Him, but He wasn’t going to keep silent forever. We may sin against God without anything bad happening to us immediately, but one day we will be held accountable for our sinful actions, unless we accept God’s gift of salvation. I believe even then that we will one day have to answer for the sins we commit after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We are still saved, but we cannot just sin after we are and ask God to forget about it. The penalty of our sins is washed away, but we may still stand before God and answer for those that we committed after we accept Jesus Christ.
Verse seven concludes, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom. God said he was going to hold everyone who offered empty sacrifices to Him accountable, from their ancestors to them. This didn’t mean that the people then were going to be held accountable for the sins of those who came before them, but that everyone was going to be held accountable for their own sins, no matter what time they may have lived.
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